Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone

Description for PC, Mac, Play Station, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone is the perfect
game for Potter fans who've read the books, seen the movie, and still want more
of J.K. Rowling's amazing world. As would-be wizard Harry Potter, you can run
amuck in a virtual Hogwarts, learn to cast spells, play Quidditch, eat chocolate
frogs, talk with teachers and classmates, and, of course, try to defeat
You-Know-Who.

This is one of those rare games that both very young kids and their parents
will be able to enjoy. You don't need the hair-trigger reflexes of a 13-year-old
Nintendo ninja to explore the complex and mysterious world of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. In fact, exploring the school is half the fun. There
are secret passages, shifting staircases, and dangerous shrubbery wherever you
look. The ultimate battle at the end is suitably challenging, but overall, the
game is fairly forgiving. And you don't have to discover every single nook and
cranny in order to pass to the next level.

Interacting with one's fellow students is also fun, and a real treat for
serious Potter fans. As in the books, some schoolmates are helpful, some are
rude, and some are simply awestruck when they meet you, the famous Harry Potter.
Nearly all the characters from the book can be found in the game, including
Potter pals Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Some characters are even more
fully realized than they were in the movie: Fred and George Weasley, for
instance, are always popping up in unexpected places via elaborate secret doors.
Thanks to excellent voice work and diligent artistry from the game developers,
the characters in the game look and sound like the characters from the film.

It's hard not to lose yourself in the lush graphics and delightful
conversations, but as Professor McGonagall might say, Harry is at Hogwarts to
learn, not to socialize! The way you learn and perform spells is clever: you
must trace a specific onscreen pattern with the mouse. Accuracy and speed in
your lessons wins house points for Gryffindor. Aside from your schoolwork, you
must win Quidditch matches, solve mysteries, and eventually confront
You-Know-Who.

The game is charming, but it is unfortunately obvious that a few corners were
cut. For instance, sometimes solid walls can go semitransparent from certain
angles, and the edges of the oval-shaped Quidditch Pitch look blocky and
amateurish. The game also has a few bugs here and there. And finally,
disappointingly, the pictures don't move. Still, the fun of this game is not in
the playing of the game itself. The main fun lies in progressing through and
interacting with J.K. Rowling's unforgettable universe. On that point, the game
is a huge success. --Eric Fredrickson

Pros:

Talking with the characters from the book/movie

Sneaking around Hogwarts under the Invisibility Cloak

Quidditch

Easy navigation

Cons:

Obvious that a few corners were cut in making the game

Relatively primitive 3-D graphics

Hogwarts pictures don't move

Description for Play Station 2, Game Cube and XBOX

Continuing the game design style first used in Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, the graphics and gameplay for Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone--previously available for the PlayStation, PC, Game Boy
Advance, and Game Boy Color--are updated for next-generation consoles for an
even richer experience in Hogwarts year one. Making the most of new technology,
the locations in and around Hogwarts and Diagon Alley are displayed in 3-D.

Players take the role of Harry Potter as he arrives for his first year at
Hogwarts and embarks on a journey to unravel the mystery of the Philosopher's
Stone. An adventure full of fun and magic, Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone allows players to explore a variety of
multi-layered 3-D environments. The game includes encounters with many of the
characters familiar to readers of the fiction, including Harry's best friends
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Rubeus Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore, and his
nemesis Draco Malfoy.

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